The Saga Continues...

Koda! It is so amazing that we’re finally in Africa!!! We started off in Windhoek, and the Polytechnic guesthouse we stayed at was beautiful! The best part was the tiny gecko I found in our bathroom.

One night we met up with Dr. Walt Schacht and his wife, Carol, at Joe’s Beerhouse; some people had fish, Ben and Tanner had the “Game Knuckle”, which contained enough kudu meat to feed the two guys and about ten of their friends! A couple of us tried a kabob that had several types of meat on it, including ostrich, kudu, zebra, crocodile, and chicken. I was pleasantly surprised by all of the meat and would recommend Joe’s to anyone traveling through Windhoek.

The next day, we met Uapii, a Polytechnic student and an assistant of Drs. Schacht and Powell. Uapii is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. He even surprised Dr. Powell with a cake since it was Dr. Powell’s birthday. Uapii might have been concerned about making sure we had a good time, but I don’t know why; the whole day was really cool. He gave us a tour of the Namibian community of Katatura. Katatura’s history is paved with oppression and violence; in its early years, the community was the site of a massacre, and a human rights holiday exists today because of that carnage. Major acts of violence are not seen there today, and it was very interesting to see the shantytowns and observe people in their day-to-day routines, but it was also sobering; I felt somewhat guilty about being a rich white tourist driving amongst extreme poverty, and I could leave Katatura whenever I wanted; the people that live there have no choice. However, the children of the community lightened the mood; they were very cute and came to meet us when we stepped out of the vehicle. They loved having us take pictures with them and then showing them the pictures on the digital screens. One girl, Desiree, told me to come back the next day with the photos; I felt really bad because I knew that actual photographs would be trophies for those kids, but I would not be returning. I let them have one more look at the pictures I had taken, and that was the best I could think to do. Without a doubt, the visit to Katatura was the most intense and fascinating part of our stay in Windhoek.

I know that this adventure will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Courtney

The Circle of Life has begun!

Well 20 hours and 4 planes later we finally made it to the great continent of Africa. That’s right I said Africa!! When we got here it was 5:15 am, and pitch black outside, which you think would make seeing wildlife difficult to see, but obviously you haven’t been hanging out with the fisheries and wildlife students because we can spot that stuff for miles away. So to our new friend the giant grasshopper we would like to say “Koda” or hello in the Himba language. We then waited for our rent-a-car person to pick us up and get us into our pimped out safari vehicle, complete with tent toppers and four wheel drive. Along the way we spotted just the typical African animals; Giraffes, Baboons, Zebras, and a Hartabeest. Next stop, the most amazing shower of our lives.

After that shower we headed out to the Amani Lodge where we met Tarzan, vine-swinging, long curly brown hair, loin-cloth and all. Okay, not really the vine-swinging but I swear everything else is true. Actually his name is Oliver and he was the son of the owner of the lodge. We met the two pet Warthogs of the lodge and had them suckling on our thumbs before the night was over. We then climbed up into our safari vehicles and headed down the fiery pits of hell, also known as the Namibian Gravel roads, and our first stop was the leopard. He was very quiet and everything you think a big cat would be, beauty and all. We also saw four Cheetahs where Tarzan threw them a rack of meat and we watched them pick it apart and make all sorts of the Cheetah noises. To be completely honest the Cheetahs reminded me more of dogs than they did actual cats, they made barking noises and growled till their faces turned blue. Our last stop of the safari was the lions, that was after our sister vehicle got stuck in the mud on the trails due to all the rain that Namibia has been having. So when we saw the lions we were looking I am sure great for dinner, but unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to go into the pen with them, which I totally would have. Wouldn’t you?? But anyway, the lodge was interesting to view and to gain a new perspective into the whole wonder of Namibian cats and the conservation efforts that have gone into conserving these animals, even if Tarzan’s viewpoints were a little far-fetched from our own, never-the –less it was a great way to start off our African adventure. Believe me this was only a taste of what we will be experiencing.

Monica

UNL vs. Polytech

May 13, 2011 Today we visited the Polytechnic School of Namibia. This is where Larkin taught for the year he was in Namibia. There we met Walt (who is a professor from UNL who took over Larkin's spot of teaching the Natural Resource students here) and he gave us a tour of the college and took us to his classroom. The Namibian students were so excited to meet us and talk about our common schooling interests. We gave a powerpoint presentation to the class outlining research that us UNL CASNR students are doing. I started the presentation talking about my internship at the Zoo and my frog research at Cedar Point. The students were very intrigued about the photo I showed them of me and a red-necked wallaby. The Namibian students then gave us a presentation on the type of research and field work they are doing as students in Namibia. It was very interesting talking with students in the same major as us, discussing how they manage wildlife and natural resources in their country. After were finished up at the college we set forth to Maltahohoe (A stopping point on our way to Farm Namtib). We arrived at the hotel near sundown and enjoyed a wonderful supper in the hotel's beautiful courtyard. Tara!

The Longest Journey

Well we finally made it to germany after a lovely nine or so hour flight, and we are all exhausted with about two or three hours of sleep, but we have done good for the flight. We get off and strech our legs, and I have to say that the airport in Germany had a odd and poopish smell to it, which kind of took the excitement out of the fact that I was finally in another country besides America. Not long after that I went and got $40 exchanged which I only got back about 22 Euros... but then we went on a short train ride into the city of Frankfurt and got experience alot of new things! The class mates and I went off on a walk to a river which was beautiful and to a small area that had shops all around. We ended up stopping to get food and my first German beer, which I sadly cannot remember the name of the beer. I like it a first, but as time went by I had to give it to one of the guys that went with me. Soon afterwords, we went walking around trying to find souvineers, but came up empty. Me and some other students found a starbucks for us to use the wifi, and tell our parents and loved ones that we were safe in Germany. I was suprised to see how nice the place was and how it felt different from America. In Germany, it seems that not everything has to be a rush and you can just slow down to enjoy your day, which is kind of nice. However, there were some crazy drivers in that town as well!
We had to soon walk back to the train station to go and get ready for our next trip to Namibia Africa!

I think I'm all done packing...?

Camera....
check.
The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals...
check.
Snorkel Mask....
check.
Land Mammals of Southern Africa...
check.
A Field Guide to the Antelope of South Africa...
check.
Frisbee...
check.

Fighting past the packing phase

It's been just about 1.5 years since our family came home from our year in Namibia, and I am pretty excited to go back and see the country and some friends.  Still, packing and logistics have a way of clouding the excitement from time to time.  So, I just thought I'd post a photo of a lion in Etosha National Park. 

Word has it that elephants are scarce in Etosha, for tourists, because they can get water without coming to the water holes--a side-effect of the rainy weather.  But, lions are having to move around more to get their game (can't wait at the water hole for dinner to come to them!).  So, folks are seeing a lot of lions.  Here's to a great trip, safe travels, and our first breath of Namibian air as we come off the plane!

Getting a wet start?

Namibia is known for its deserts (Namib and Kalahari), but 2011 appears to be the Year of Rain.  Rains, starting in late January, normally tail off in March/early April.  But, the rains are still going in early May!

As a country that relies on tourism, the May-July time period is known as a cool and dry winter...and tourists really don't have to even think about rain.  When we lived in Windhoek during 2009, I remember being happy to see clouds in September---the sky was simply devoid of any moisture.  Weather forecasts were almost exactly the same every day.  Perfect for tourists, who don't want to think and plan.

This year has been different.  Packing rain coats looks to be a good idea.

However, the end of the rain-slaught may be in sight.  This article notes that weather patterns are changing in southern Africa, and the rainy season looks to be a thing of the past.  We'll cross our fingers, and hope for dry traveling weather (especially when camping).